The World Series of Poker is back in action in 2021 and has promised poker players the bracelet chase the so sorely missed in 2020, plus a few new events to keep the series fresh. There are 88 gold bracelets up for grabs over the course of six weeks and PocketFives is here to help you with everything you need to know, including the complete schedule, key dates, and how to enter events during the fall series in Las Vegas. Here is your ultimate guide to the 2021 WSOP!
This article will continue to be updated as news about the 2021 WSOP is released: Last updated June 28
Where and When Is the 2021 WSOP?
Despite there being rumblings over the past few years that the World Series of Poker might change venues, the 2021 WSOP again takes place at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
This year, the series takes place from Thursday, September 30 through Tuesday, November 23, 2021 – 55 days.
When is the Main Event?
One of the biggest poker tournaments of the year is the $10,000 buy-in World Series of Poker Main Event. This year there are four starting flights starting on Thursday, November 4.
• Day 1A – Thursday, November 4
• Day 1B – Friday, November 5
• Day 1C – Saturday, November 6
• Day 1D – Sunday, November 7
Starting stacks are 60,000 in chips with 120-minute levels. Players play five levels on Day 1 and registration closes for the tournament at the end of level 7 (two levels into Day 2). Play continues down to the final table which takes place over two days – Tuesday, November 16 and Wednesday, November 17 when the new WSOP World Champion is crowned. Coverage of the Main Event will take place on CBS Sports Network with additional coverage on PokerGO.
New Additions To The Schedule
The Reunion
After a year away, World Series of Poker officials know that the poker world simply can’t wait to get back to playing live poker. So they front-loaded the series with “The Reunion”, a $500 buy-in, $5 million guaranteed massive field tournament that promises a huge payday for the winner. There are three starting flights beginning on Friday, October 1, with another one on Saturday, and a final fight on Sunday. Picking up right where 2019’s “Big 50” left off, there’s little doubt that this will be one of the biggest fields of the entire series, so plan accordingly.
$1,000 Flip and Go (Presented by GGPoker)
On October 10, GGPoker’s popular Flip and Go format makes its debut at the World Series of Poker. In the $1,000 buy-in event, everyone is automatically all-in on the very first hand with the winner advancing to the next round and is immediately in the money. From there the event is played out like a normal tournament, all the way until the bracelet is awarded. It’s fast-paced early action giving those who survive a pass right to the best part of the tournament.
Poker Hall of Fame Bounty
One of the most exciting new additions this year is the Poker Hall of Fame Bounty which freerolls every living member of the PHOF into the tournament and then places a bounty on their head the same as the year they were inducted (for example whoever knocks out Johnny Chan would win $2,002, corresponding with the year 2002.) The buy-in for the event is $1,979 to commemorate the first year of the Poker Hall of Fame and there are plenty of high-profile PHOF members expected in the field including Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth, plus whoever is selected to the Hall of Fame here in 2021.
$25,000 Heads Up No Limit Hold’em Championship
Technically it’s not a new event, as the Heads Up NLHE Championship has been a staple of the schedule for a number of years. But this year, the WSOP has increased the buy-in to $25,000 and is capping the field at 64 players. The buy-in may be out of the reach of most players, it will likely be a spectacle to follow along with by bringing out a field of top-tier talent.
Daily Deep Stacks
Come for the bracelets, stay for the Daily Deep Stacks. Four times a day one of the Daily Deep Stack tournaments gets underway. In recent years, the appetite for these 1-day events has been so big that players are often walking away with healthy five-figure scores for their modest buy-in. The standard schedule (as seen below) may get changed on the fly during a date or two if there is a larger bracelet event (i.e. The Seniors Event) taking place and extra room is needed. That said, on more days one can typically hop into one of the Daily Deep Stack tournaments at the following times:
• 1:00 pm – $250 buy-in
• 4:00 pm – $200 buy-in
• 7:00 pm – $400 buy-in
• 10:00 pm – $150 buy-in
Qualify For The WSOP
Online Qualifiers
Satellites for live gold bracelets events are underway on WSOP.com and will run throughout the series. Currently, U.S.-based players must be located in either Nevada or New Jersey to participate in the qualifiers on WSOP.com
International players hoping to win a seat to an event in Las Vegas will have opportunities via the WSOP’s international online partner, GGPoker, which has exclusive rights to run online qualifiers outside the U.S.
In-Person Qualifiers
In addition to online qualifiers, on-demand Sit & Go’s and mega satellites run in the Pavillion throughout the series. These tournaments award lamers which can be put towards tournament buy-ins.
The mega satellites run at fixed times but Sit & Go satellites start as soon as there are enough players to fill a single table. The Sit & Go’s run around the clock and have a wide variety of buy-ins. Registration information for in-person qualifiers is typically available in the Pavillion with registration in the same area as the single table satellites.
Register for World Series of Poker Events
There are a number of ways to register for WSOP tournaments including in person as well as in advance with a credit card. Here are your best options:
Online Registration
Easily the best option when it comes to speed and ease is online registration for WSOP events. Players create an account with Bravo (www.BravoPokerLive.com) and can then sign-up and pay in advance for any live event. When you arrive at the WSOP, visit the desk in the Belize Ballroom with your identification to verify your account and pick up any pre-purchased tickets.
After that, additional events can continue to be purchased online with seat assignments printed out from self-service kiosks that can be found throughout the convention center. It’s a real time saver, especially when faced with the crowds that come with some of the larger field events.
In-Person Registration
While the WSOP would push players to use online registration to clear up congestion at the cage, in-person registration is available 24-hours a day. The upside to in-person registration is there are no credit card usage fees. The downside is, especially on the weekends and in lower buy-in events, registering for events can take an incredibly long time with lines stretching the length of the main hallway.
Registration for events requires photo ID, a Caesars Rewards card, and payment. To avoid lines, players should look to enter events during off-peak times including late at night.
Payment
Entry into WSOP tournaments can be purchased with cash, credit cards (Visa, MC, Discover, or American Express), ACH, wire transfer or cashier’s checks made out to the Rio. Also, satellite lamers and Rio gaming chips can be used.
A WSOP Tournament account can also be used. This is an account where players wire in funds or deposit cash and from there can use the balance to purchase their seat into tournaments using the Bravo mobile app with seats being picked up at one of the many kiosks in the tournament area.
WSOP Schedule
Below we have broken the schedule down into a number of key categories including the complete schedule, all NLHE events, all $10,000+ events, all $1,000 and under, and all non-NLHE (Mixed games) events.
Schedule for All 2021 WSOP Bracelet Events
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Schedule for All NLHE Events
[table id=250 /]
Schedule for All $10K+ Events
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Schedule for All $1K and Under Events
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Schedule for All Non-NLHE Events
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